“You’re damn right we will.” Lassiter turned and moved toward the door, with Cambry at his heels. “But Mandell is right: We have to make sure we know that camp backward and forward before we make a move. And once we break those prisoners out, we have to find a way to get them safely away. Some of them may be in almost as bad shape as Patrick, and Nicos has guards all over this rain forest. I’ll have to work on an exit plan that won’t get them killed.” He opened the door. “But to do that, I need to know who I’ve got to deal with in that prison and all the prisoners’ conditions. I think I’ll stop by and have a talk with Brukman before I do anything else. I’ll see you in a few hours, Margaret.”
She gazed after them resignedly before she turned back to Patrick. Lassiter was already in high gear, and she envied him. It would have been good to be able to be more active to accomplish something that would bring Nicos down. But she’d offered to stay with Patrick, and she couldn’t have everything.
She dropped down in the chair and gazed down at Juno. I guess it’s just you and me. How are your pups doing?
*
Ed Dietrich rose swiftly to his feet when Lassiter walked into the storage room they were using as Brukman’s cell. “Everything’s going well, sir. Did Cambry tell you? Brukman did exactly what he was supposed to do when he talked to Nicos.”
“Yes, did he tell you?” Brukman asked sarcastically. He was sitting in a chair in front of the window overlooking the courtyard with his hands cuffed behind his back. “I was meek and obedient and I saved your ass. All I’d have had to do was tell Nicos that you were stranded down here with Patrick and he would have had this place overrun with his men within a few hours. I was very tempted. You promised me an airline ticket. When do I get out of here?”
“When you’re no longer useful. You have to be here in case Nicos calls again,” Lassiter said. “And you know what Nicos would do to you if he found you’d betrayed him.”
“There might be a way around it.” He leaned back in his chair. “And I keep remembering what you did to me in that rain forest. I hate your guts, you know. It might be worth the risk.”
“If you even started to go in that direction, Dietrich has orders to make certain you don’t even finish the first sentence.” His lips twisted. “Quietly. Perhaps a broken neck? All of Mandell’s men are very skilled.” He glanced at Dietrich, who was standing by the door. “And Mandell’s told him what scum he’s dealing with now.”
Brukman muttered a curse. “Then get me out of here. I’m not going to be caught in this cage like a rat if Nicos finds out what you’ve done to him. I stalled him, but there’s no telling how soon he’ll decide that he can’t resist coming down to tear Patrick apart. I’ve watched him for years, and that’s possible. Hell, he likes it too much.”
“Like you.”
“No, with me it’s a job.”
“And what’s worse?” Lassiter made an impatient gesture. “I didn’t come here to discuss letting you go. I want to know the names of the other two prisoners you’re holding. I have Estefan, Damos, and Gilroy.”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Give me the names.”
“Screw you.” He started to laugh. “My God, you’re going to try to get them out? Aren’t you in enough trouble? You’re certifiable.”
“I want the names.” He paused. “And what kind of condition they’re in.”
Brukman shook his head. “I’m not telling you any of their names. I don’t have to do it. You believe I’m too valuable because of Patrick to waste time and effort on trying to torture it out of me. Find out for yourself. As for their conditions? A couple of them are close to Patrick’s. None that bad. Some of them are a little better.” He smiled. “But they’re all in very, very poor shape. I do such good work.”
Lassiter wanted to kill him on the spot.
Control.
There would be a time and a place. Brukman was right: He couldn’t spare the time right now. At least Brukman’s ego had prodded him to give him his answer about the prisoners’ conditions.
“Oh, I promise I’ll remember that.” Lassiter turned on his heel and headed for the door.
“Who was the woman?”
Lassiter stopped short and glanced at him over his shoulder. “What?”
Brukman nodded at the window in front of him. “I saw a woman get out of that van with you and Mandell. You mentioned a Margaret when we were on our way here. Was that Margaret Douglas?”
He stiffened. “What do you know about Margaret Douglas?”
“Only what Nicos told me. We had long chats about the people he intended to send to me for schooling. After she ran away from him, she was tops on his list.” He added mockingly, “I can’t believe you brought her down here into the lion’s den. Do you hate her? Nicos will find her and make her life a living hell. We planned it in detail. Do you want me to tell you about it?”
It took all of Lassiter’s restraint to keep himself from leaping across the room and strangling the son of a bitch. “No, I want you to stay alive for a little while longer. That won’t happen if I have to listen to you for one more minute.” He glanced at Dietrich. “You heard me. He’s being a little too cocky, Dietrich. Don’t take any chances.”
Dietrich shook his head. “Mandell would kick my ass.” He settled down in his chair with his automatic weapon on his lap. “Now that would really be taking a chance.”
*
Sean Patrick opened his eyes an hour after Lassiter had left his room. His eyes focused on Margaret. “Who…?”
Juno was immediately on her feet, her head touching Patrick’s hand.
“I’m Margaret. You don’t know me.” She smiled and leaned toward him. “And that’s Juno. But I believe you might have met her.”
“Yes.” His voice was weak, but he turned his hand to touch the retriever. “We’re … friends.”
“She’s a good friend to have.”
“Nurse?”
She shook her head. “Just a friend of Lassiter.” She added, “Stop talking. You need to rest. But Lassiter wanted the other two names of the prisoners at the camp. Estefan, Damos, Gilroy. Who are the other two?”
“Manual Lucio, Dominic Chico. There used to be a … woman. María. Estefan’s wife. But she didn’t … last. Nicos is bad on women.”
“I know.” She reached out and gently touched his hand. “But Nicos couldn’t have been any worse than he was with you. And you lasted, Patrick.”
“I couldn’t help her.” He closed his eyes. “And it was killing … Estefan.”
The mental and psychological torture must have been almost as terrible as the physical, she thought in an agony of sympathy. “It will be over soon. We’re going to get them out.”
He nodded and his eyes closed. “Don’t let … Nicos get hold of you. Bad … on women.”
Terrible with women. Terrible with Rosa. Terrible with all those tragic little girls he’d used as toys. Terrible with Margaret, with all the torment he’d inflicted over the years.
And it was time a woman stepped up and stopped Nicos from ever doing that again.
*
“I’ll send these other two names and have them run through the CIA database,” Lassiter said when he came to pick up Margaret an hour later to take her to her quarters. “It may come in handy to know if they have a power base in the area.”